Oliver Twist (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Charles Dickens
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Social realism
- Time of Work: Early nineteenth century
- Setting: England, especially London
- Genres: Long fiction, Social realism, Bildungsroman
- Subjects: Maturation or coming of age, Love or romance, Crime or criminals, Murder or homicide, Nineteenth century, Gangs, youth, Poverty or poor people, Child abuse, Inner cities or inner-city life, England or English people, Robbery or robbers, Adoption or adopted children, London, Corruption, Theft, Orphans or orphanages, Labor, Boys
- Locales: London, England
Characters Discussed
Oliver Twist, a workhouse foundling, the helpless, abused hero of the novel. Both innocent and morally sensible, he gives force and sharpness, as well as a full measure of sentimentality, to Dickens’ vision of social injustice. Exploited from birth by the selfish managers of the poor farm and workhouse, he is apprenticed to a mortician. Treated cruelly, he runs off to London, where he is taken in by a gang of thieves. Falsely arrested as a pickpocket, he is rescued for a time by Mr. Brownlow and then recaptured by the thieves. He is wounded during a...
[The entire page is 1171 words long]
Navigate
- Oliver Twist (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
- Oliver Twist (Magill Book Reviews)
- Oliver Twist (Masterplots, Revised Second Edition)
- Oliver Twist (Cyclopedia of Literary Places)
See Also:
Charles Dickens (Cyclopedia of World Authors)Charles Dickens (Censorship)Charles Dickens (Dictionary of World Biography)Charles Dickens (Short Fiction)Charles Dickens (Long Fiction)Charles Dickens (Mystery and Detective Fiction)
See Also:
- - Read the Oliver Twist text online.
- - For teachers, the Oliver Twist Lesson Plan.
- - Oliver Twist summary and study guide in the eNotes.
- Add Oliver Twist to your favorites